Amanda Hein Photography

It was so fun to have Melodie as one of our brides this past fall. We actually met Melodie through Alta Moda Bridal, where Melodie works part time, before she came to meet with us for her invitations. Melodie is a sweet bride who dreamed of her invitations resembling a Tiffany's jewelry box. You know... the iconic blue box tied with a white satin ribbon. We were excited about the prospect of developing a Tiffany's inspired invitation for Melodie's dream wedding in Chicago. Keep reading to find out more about her invitations and her romantic wedding.

Ruth: When you came to us you had an idea for your invitations to resemble a Tiffany's box. How did you come up with the idea?Melodie: I’ve always loved anything that came in a Tiffany’s box. Alex would always get me presents from there and it was kind of our thing that if it is something really special it was in a Tiffany's box. That is how I picked the colors for my wedding by using Tiffany blue and pops of pink. I had to add the pink because it's my favorite color.

Ruth: What’s your favorite part of the invitations?Melodie: I loved how everything fit into it’s own little pocket. When you gave me samples I remember thinking how well put together and organized it looked with a pocket.

Ruth: Was there an element like the pocket that made you think "yes, that’s it!"?Melodie: I love that you were able to make the pocket that I wanted out of the blue shimmer paper that I wanted. That is what really sold me on it! I just love the blue color and how the pocket folded everything together like a present!

Ruth: What was your favorite part about the invitation process?Melodie: I liked how visual the proofing method was with everything shown very clearly. I’m not the type of person who can visualize things but you made it very easy through proofs and pictures. It was also great to have physical samples of invitations and papers.

Ruth: Have you received any feedback from your guests about your invitations?Melodie: Well, 6 months after the wedding everyone I know still has the invitation on their fridge! Even people that couldn’t make the wedding said how much they loved the invitations. Also, I’m so glad you reminded me to stamp the RSVP, I would have never thought to do that and people thought that was great.

Ruth: Did Alex participate in the proofing and decision making process with you?Melodie: I thought he would say “whatever you want” and wouldn't be that interested in the invitations. But then when we received the Pinterest board that you created for our inspiration he had a lot of interesting feedback of what type of graphics he preferred. It was surprising to me that he wanted to be involved but it was really fun to do together.

Ruth:How was your experience working with Ann Elizabeth from start to finish?Melodie:The experience definitely lived up to my expectations. I knew that I wanted to use Ann Elizabeth for my invitations because I’ve seen so many great things in magazines and in person that have come from your studio. I have friends who are getting married now and are using Ann Elizabeth for invitations and they’ve been really happy they chose you guys too! I felt really good about my decision from the start and everything was very easy. I also really liked that you sent my proofs through email because I live 30 minutes away and I didn’t want to always been driving to the studio.

Ruth:What advice you would give brides who are going through the invitation designMelodie:Listen to your instincts and if you’re drawn to a certain thing you don’t have to try and explain it. Just say, “I like this and it's great”. Go with your instincts and you’ll always be happy in the end! I think mainly don’t be afraid to ask questions and any ideas you have just throw them out there. Also give yourself plenty of time and make sure you proofread, even have others proofread it as well so everything is correct.

Ruth: Were there elements of the invitation that were carried throughout the wedding?Melodie: The Tiffany blue color went all through the wedding. Also, my menu designer in Chicago was able to match the colors of the menu up to the colors of the invitations. The colors were also used for the flowers and we used ribbon to tie around the centerpieces keeping the Tiffany's box theme.

Ruth: Was there a special reason you chose to be married at the Trump Towers in Chicago?Melodie: We loved how Trump Towers had both a view of the cityscape and how it overlooked the Chicago River. Plus the people at Trump Towers are super nice to work with! Also, Alex’s family is from Chicago so we thought it would be fun to have our wedding there. With me working in the wedding industry in Utah I felt like having my wedding in Chicago was like having a destination wedding.

Ruth: Do you have any advice for brides planning a destination wedding?Melodie: Hire a wedding planner that is local to the area you're getting married in because they have a lot more experience with the vendors. I think anyone can make things look great on a website so I was really grateful for our planner who gave me honest feedback and we loved ever vendors she recommended so it was a great relationship!

Ruth: Tell me a little about your actual wedding day.Melodie: Well, honestly I was very tired of planning by the time my wedding came. I hear brides say “I had so much fun planning my wedding” but that wasn’t necessarily me. I was a little overwhelmed at time. I'm sure that there were so many little details that I could have just said "whatever" and it would be fine but I didn’t want to do that. Instead I kept working at getting all the little things done. I got the “must have” shot list to the photographer and sent the DJ my preferred song list. I felt really glad I put in the extra effort to do all those little things because I think they did really did make a difference. When the actual day came I woke up that morning and knew everything was going to be great! The only thing that went wrong on my wedding day was that I tried to steam my wedding dress myself and burned my arm. So I guess that would be another suggestion to new brides “don’t steam your wedding dress yourself! ”

Ruth: Thank you so much for coming in to talk to us about your wedding and the invitation process. We we're also honored that you trusted us to create your Tiffany's inspired invitations. You’re such a pleasure to work with and we wish you the best!